Derry does its job, beats McGuffey in Section 2-AA wrestling tournament

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, January 25, 2018 | 7:39 AM

When Gannon Lenhart glanced at the scoreboard and saw his lead swell, he turned up the heat for a major decison over Bryton Johnson, clinching host No. 2 Derry's 36-30 victory over No. 4 McGuffey in the championship match of the WPIAL Section 2-AA wrestling tournament on Wednesday night.

“Everyone was just telling me to get out there and wrestle with heart,” Lenhart said. “It was 7-2, and I felt like I could close it out then. He (Johnson) got too low, and that's when I grabbed him and got control.”

But it wasn't just the superior wrestling of Lenhart, whose 14-4 outcome brought a roar from the home crowd, that was important in Derry's success.

“Some kids' jobs were not to get pinned, and they did their job,” Derry coach Mike Weinell said. “Colton (McCallen at 106) and Kace (Sabedra at 113), in particular, didn't get pinned. They saved us six points there. Look at the score. That was huge.”

McCallen dropped a 7-3 decision to Rocco Ferraro, and Sabedra was nipped by Nathan Yagle, 10-9, giving McGuffey an 18-6 lead.

It was the final win for the Highlanders, besides a pair of meaningless forfeits at 170 and 187 after Derry ran off seven victories to take a 36-18 lead.

As Lenhart was putting the finishing touches on his match-clinching victory, McGuffey coach Mark Caffrey leaped from his chair and stomped to the sidelines as he glared at the mat in disgust.

Caffrey, in his 34th season, recently notched his 400th career victory, ranking him second among active WPIAL coaches.

Derry, which lost to McGuffey in the 2017 section title match but a week later beat the Highlanders in the quarterfinals, prevailed in the latest section tournament despite just one pin from Onreey Stewart at 138.

The Trojans advanced to the championship match by upending No. 9 Beth-Center, 48-27, in the semifinals behind pins from Shawn Broadway (126), Jason Baker (132), Stewart (138), Dom Jellison (145), Trey Weinell (152) and Dom DeLuca (220).

In the championship match, Stewart, one of two Derry wrestlers ranked No. 1 by the Tribune-Review in individual weight classes, wasn't satisfied with winning just any old way. He wanted to win in spectacular fashion.

The Derry junior enjoyed an impressive night by emphatically scoring a pair of falls at the tournament.

When he scored a second-period fall over McGuffey's Mason Burgdolt, Stewart jumped off the mat and clenched his fists in jubilation.

“It was a special moment,” he said. “I knew the team needed me to come through. I don't pay too much attention to rankings and that type of thing, I just go out there and wrestle aggressively.”

DeLuca, Derry's other top-ranked wrestler, wasn't able to wrestle in the championship match because of the intentional forfeits.

“We wrestled well,” Weinell said. “I told them, ‘It feels good when you earn it, doesn't it?' ”

Beth-Center captured third place with a 51-27 victory over Elizabeth Forward. The other semifinal saw McGuffey beat Elizabeth Forward, 58-15.

Elsewhere, Mt. Pleasant, wrestling at home, claimed fifth place in the section tournament by edging Jefferson-Morgan, 39-33.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Beth-Center, Elizabeth Forward, McGuffey